Only some newer 13-inch MacBook Pros without Touch Bars have been affected.

Apple quietly launched a new battery replacement program to help a "limited number" of MacBook Pro users. According to the program's webpage, some 13-inch MacBook Pros without Touch Bars may experience component failure that causes the built-in battery to swell. It's not a safety issue, but Apple will replace batteries on the affected laptops for free.

Further Reading

The company didn't provide details about which component inside these MacBook Pros could fail and cause the battery to expand. Affected laptops were manufactured between October 2016 and October 2017, and users can check to see if their device is eligible by inputting the device's serial number into the program's webpage. Older MacBook Pros and MacBook Pro models with Touch Bars shouldn't be affected.

If your device is eligible for the battery replacement program, you can either take your laptop to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple retail store to have it serviced. Authorized personnel may need to send the laptop to Apple's Repair Center for a few days, and you have the option to immediately send the device into the repair center yourself rather than going to a store first. Apple advises users to back up all data on their MacBook Pros and repair any other problems with the device before getting it serviced.

It's unclear how many MacBook Pros may be affected by this issue, but Apple clearly wants to help users by fixing the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible. This isn't the first time Apple has provided free-of-charge battery replacements for some of its devices: recently it launched a program to replace batteries in 42mm Apple Watch Series 2 models that either have swollen batteries or will not power on. The company also extended the warranty on first-generation Apple Watch models for an additional two years, providing battery replacements for free for up to three years after the original date of purchase.

But those who suffer from lackluster iPhone batteries still have to pay up. After Apple's slow-down fiasco at the end of 2017, the company began offering $29 discounted battery replacements for select iPhone models at the start of this year. While that's better than the $79 out-of-warranty price users would have had to pay to replace their iPhones' batteries previously, some still argue that the service should be offered for free for affected iPhones. Apple is offering the discounted iPhone battery replacement price through the end of this year.

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Valentina Palladino
Valentina is the Associate Reviewer for Ars Technica, covering all gadgets with a focus on mobile devices and wearables. She has a soft spot for Chromebooks. Twitter@valentinalucia